THE BATTLE OF THE CAMEL

INTRODUCTION

It is in Quran –وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖفَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّىٰ تَفِيءَ إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ ( Meaning – And if two parties of the believers fight (and kill each other), make peace between them; but if one of them acts wrongfully towards the other, fight that which acts wrongfully until it returns to Allah’s command; then if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act equitably; surely Allah loves those who act equitably. (Al-Hujraat – 9)

The above Quranic verse confirms the fact that there is a possibility that Muslims fight among themselves which may involve loss of lives. The fight could be between two individuals, or two Muslim Groups, or between two Muslim countries. Also, the fight can be for various reason, like; (1) confusion created by vested interests/selfish people; (2) misunderstanding, (3) differences of opinions in religious issues and (4) wrongful acts of an oppressor Group who are causing harm to the weaker group. In all these cases, both the parties are treated asMuslims. We have been commanded to bring peace between the warring factions and also to support the oppressed Group against the oppressors until they agree to abide by the Quranic injunctions in their dealings with others.

Following Ahadith provide more clarification in this context.

(i) It is in Hadith – Ibn ‘Abbas ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) said to me and to his son Ali, “Go to Abu Sa’id ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and listen to what he narrates.” So we went and found him in a garden looking after it. He picked up his Rida’, wore it and sat down and started narrating till the topic of the construction of the mosque reached. He said, “We were carrying one adobe at a time while ‘Ammar ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) was carrying two. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) saw him and started removing the dust from his body and said, “May Allah be Merciful to ‘Ammar ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). He will be killed by a rebellious, aggressive group. He will be inviting them to Paradise and they will invite him to Hell-fire.” ‘Ammar ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) said, “I seek refuge with Allah from affliction.” (Bukhari)

(a) Hadith # (i) is related to the battle of Siffeen in which Ammar Yasir ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was killed fighting on the side of Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). Here the Prophet(صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) says that the people fighting against Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) were rebels (Mutineers), meaning oppressors. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) also says that Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and his companions were inviting them to Paradise and the opposition was inviting them to Hell Fire.

(b) Hadith # (ii) is related to the fighting between two groups, one is headed by Hadhrat Hassan ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )and the other is led by Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). In this case, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) says that Hadhrat Hassan ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) is a “Sayyid” (leader/Master) of Muslims, and he will arrange peace between two opposing groups, one, his supporters and the other led by Muawiya (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). Here, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم)grades both the groups as Muslims.

(c) Both the above Ahadith are identical in their essence.

Following opinions of Ahle Sunnah scholars further clarify this issue.

(i)Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) said – “I do not regret anything more than the fact that I did not fight against the rebel Group (Muawiyah – رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ)(Ibn Abdul Barr in Al-Istiab )

(iii)Imam Mohammed Ibn Ismail al-Sana’ani said – “The Hadith of Ammar Yasir ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) is a proof that rebel party is Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and those in his party and the Party of truth is Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )and his companions and there is Ijma of ahl al-sunna on this position”. (Sharah Subul as-Salam upon bulugh al-maram of Imam Ibn Hajar Makki V3, P 358).

(v)Imam Mohammed Shaybani the student of Imam Abu Hanifa wrote – “If Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) had not fought with Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) whilst He (Muawiya -رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was a dhalim/unjust and a rebel who transgressed, then we would not have known the rulings for fighting with rebels. (Hanafi Tabqat, al-Jawahir al-Mudiya)

“To be appointed as Judge by an unjust ruler is allowed like from a just ruler because Sahaba became judges for Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) whilst the truth was with Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ).“

(vii)Mulla Ali Qari al-Hanafi wrote – “Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and his supporters can be called in khata, rebellious, khuruj and fasaad but to send la’nah upon them is not allowed” ( Sharah Shifa, volume 2, page 556).

(viii) Imam al-Manawi (1545 – 1621), known for his works on ‘Early History of Islam’ and ‘History of Sufism’ wrote in his book Fayd al-Qadeer with reference to Imam Abdul Qahir al-Jurjani‘s (1007-1078) Aqeeda:

(Meaning – There is Ijma of Fuqaha of Hijaz (Makka and Madina) and Iraq (Kufa and Basra), amongst them Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Awzai and majority of theologians and Muslims that Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was on Haq in his fight against the people of Siffeen and those who fought him were oppressive mutineers (Dhaalim Baghi) but were not kafir for their rebellion.)

(ix) There are many more similar observations of our Ulema, like Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas al Hanafi, Imam Shawkani, Imam al-Jurjani, and many others.

THE BACKDROP OF THE BATTLE OF CAMEL

Whenever there is a tribulation ( فتنه ), there are some camouflaged ring leaders who create disorder to achieve their selfish objectives. They manage to hide their evil intentions from public. For this purpose they create confusion among Muslim ranks. Like, in the case of Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ), the trouble makers worked on a long and sustained conspiracy to grab power from the backdoor. They hired people to run a campaign of misinformation about the Caliph. Their agents were spread in many provinces, particularly in Kufa, Egypt and Madinah (the seat of Caliphate). They wrote letters to Caliph against provincial Governors. They incited people by spreading rumors that the Caliph was promoting people of his tribe. Any charity done by the Caliph from his personal wealth was termed as misuse of public funds. They pressurized the Caliph to bow in front of their unreasonable demands. Their campaign gradually grew into a large scale riot and their well knitted and efficiently executed conspiracy neutralized the majority opinion among masses.

Simple minded people and Sahabah were brainwashed by the sustained misinformation campaign which resulted in widespread division among the opinions of Sahabah and general people. The conspirators strategy polluted the peaceful atmosphere and they succeeded in creating suspicions in the minds of Sahabah and general public. Like, they claimed they wanted Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) to resign and Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) or Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) or Talha ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) to take over as Caliph. This strategy worked well with the masses and they thought that something was indeed wrong in Hadhrat Uthman’s ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) administration. With this strategy they neutralized the majority opinion and managed to surround the house of the Caliph. The misinformation campaign was so intense that no one was able to raise his voice against the rioters. The confusion prevailed and the rioters took advantage of this situation and martyred the Caliph.

In essence, there were two types of people, as follows:

(1) The ones who were funding, operating the entire trouble, disturbances and rioting from the comfort of their homes. Their hired agents were busy in creating the confusion and carnage among masses.

(2) The majority of the people who were brain washed and convinced that somehow the trouble was brewing from the mismanagement within the Caliphate. People were completely unaware that they were being taken for a ride and they were actually the victims of smear propaganda which was weakening the Institution of Caliphate. They could not visualize that there were people behind this campaign who were interested to grab power from the back door. The old tribal politics was being played by the ring leaders in the Islamic State and people were made to kill each other.

When you understand the above facts, it is easier for you to understand the causes of the Battle of Camel and its impact on the Institution of Caliphate.

THE BATTLE OF CAMEL

The battle of Camel was the result of the horrible shock to the people who could never visualize that the Caliph Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) could be assassinated in this manner. They were deeply grieved at the unthinkable happening in front of their eyes. Their anger was natural.The ring leaders were having a great time as things were going as per their plan. They kept themselves hidden from the public glare while their hired agents did the job for them.When the grief and anger of people, particular senior Sahabah was at its high, Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was chosen as the Caliph of the nation. Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was the one who supported the Caliph, Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ), in those difficult times. He was the one who risked the lives of his sons when he placed them on the door of Caliph’s residence to guard him against the rioters. He was the one who took care of the burial of the Caliph against all odds. He was also grieved and was angry on the assassins. How can he be blamed that he was protecting the assassins? He was a great strategist. He was the senior counselor to Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat Umar and Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ الله تعالی عنهم اجمعين ) during their Caliphate. He needed sometime to bring the nation out of the turmoil, take care of the bigger mutiny by the trouble maker Governors first and then turn back to punish the individuals. The trouble makers did not allow this to happen because they knew that if Hadhrat Ali (رضئ الله تعالی عنه ) was allowed to solidify the Caliphate, there will be no place for them in the nation.

People’s Sentiments were exploited

After Hadhrat Uthman’s ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) assassination, his blood stained shirt was transported to Syria. The shirt was displayed in front of the people. They were incited against Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ الله تعالی عنه ), blaming him to be the protector of assassins. By doing so, they were virtually blaming him to be responsible for Hadhrat Uthman’s ( رضئ الله تعالی عنه ) assassination. A mass scale frenzy was created, first in Syrian Province, which gradually spread into the entire Islamic State, particularly in Madina. This frenzy was aimed at harassing, weakening and pushing the new Caliph to a corner.

Some people say that Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) spearheaded this campaign. He knew, Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) alone was not able to catch the criminals. They were spread all over the place. Many of whom were in Egypt and Syria under the protection of the Governors.Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) needed time and cooperation of all but Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) did not allow it to happen. Rather hebecame the leader of the smear campaign. It was a catch 22 situation for Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). If he attempted to arrest the assassins, he would have ended up in a civil war. If he did not arrest them, then Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) would create a bigger trouble for him with his smear campaign and create divide between Sahabah and incite them to fight with each other. The battle of Camel was the result of this smear campaign.Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) had no escape. He was well aware of these facts. But he was a born fighter. He was trained under the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) right from his childhood. He fought till the end and tried to protect the Caliphate from falling into the wrong hands.

The famous Ahle Sunnah Imam al-Barzanji (1640-1703), the Chief Mufti of Madinah (buried in Jannat ul Baqi) wrote in his book “Ishrat al-Sa’a” as follows:

“It was a false pretext of Muawiya ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) to justify his fight with Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) under the guise of revenge for the murder of Hadhrat Uthman (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) because when he completely attained the power and became ruler of the whole State, he never opened the case of the murder of Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and did not arrest the murderers though he claimed earlier that the killers were still around. This proves that all his fight was for worldly rule under the deceit of revenge for the murder.”

Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) was martyred on 18th Dhul Hijja 35 H. Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) was on Hajj during that time and was completely in dark about the happenings in Madina. On her return journey, the conspirators met her on the way and brainwashed her and convinced her that Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )was not doing enough and something should be done to force him to take action against the culprits. When she saw Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )and Talha ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) along with this group, she was convinced. This was the jackpot win for the conspirators. They declared her their leader, Talha ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) were declared as commanders. The Sahabah did not know that they were being used by the conspirators on the instance of their ring leaders. The conspirators used the name of Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا), Talha ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) to convince others. What happened next is history. We do not want to go into details here. We are providing Ahadith below which are self explanatory. It is in Hadith – Allegiance was pledged to Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) just after the assassination of Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )did not like to be the successor of Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). Thus, he refused this responsibility, but he was pressured and urged by the Companions to accept it. Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) said “ I nearly lost my senses when I heard of the murder of Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and I denied myself. When they came to me to pledge allegiance, I said, ‘By Allah! I feel ashamed in front of Allah to accept the allegiance of people who killed a man of whom the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) said: “Shouldn’t I be shy of a man before whom even the angels are ashamed?” and while Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) is murdered and is still lying on the ground and has not yet been buried.” At this, they left until after the burial.

“They came to me again and asked me to accept their allegiance. I said,‘O Allah! Indeed I am anxious and afraid of what I am about to undertake. Then a group came and pledged allegiance. When they said, ‘O Leader of the Believers!’ it was as if my heart was stricken. Then I said, ‘O Allah! Take from me and give to Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) until you are pleased”.

(Narrated by Al-Hakim, who said it was sound and that it fits the conditions set by Bukhari and Muslim. ad-Dahabiagreed with Al-Hakim).

The conspirators who had convinced Ummul Momineen Aisha ( رضئ الله تعالی عنها ) , Talha ( رضئ الله تعالی عنه ) and Zubair ( رضئ الله تعالی عنه ), hatched a plan. Instead of going to the Caliph directly to present their demands, they took Sahabah to Basra where the Governor was weak. They convinced the Sahabah that this was the best option to push Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) to punish the assassins. They arranged the funding, transportation and people to accompany the Sahaba. On their way to Basrah, they reached a place called Bani Amr. Their caravan was stopped at night around a well. During the night, Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) heard unusual barking of dogs. She asked people what is the name of that place? They informed her it was Hawab. Listening to this reply, she reminded the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) who had predicted about this place to her during his life time.

The above Hadith is a clear evidence that Sahaba went to Basra with a clear intention to negotiate with Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and reach an agreement. Their intention was not to fight and shed the blood of thousands of people. However, as soon as they reached Basra, the things went out of their hands. The conspirators took control of Basra, deposed the Governor and created a reign of terror in the Province. The conspirators were using Sahabah to unseat Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) as they did with Hadhrat Uthman ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ )earlier. The whole game was to capture the Caliphate.

When Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ الله تعالی عنه ) knew about these development, he went to Basra. Both the Armies stood face to face. Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) called for negotiations.

Sahabah reached an agreement within no time. They all agreed that the issue of arresting the culprits will be delayed till the fluid situation in the State solidifies. Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا), Talha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) and Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) agreed not aggravate the situation further and promised to return back the next morning. Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) also promised to return back in the morning.

But the paid conspirators had not come there for peace. They wanted to create an anarchy and bloodshed in the Islamic State to weaken the Caliph. Just before the dawn, in the darkness, they attacked both the armies from sides and no one knew what happened as it was dark. The battle was in full swing as the day broke out. Looking at these happenings, Zubair ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) left the field without fighting. A handful of conspirators followed him. A conspirator named Amr Ibn Jurmuz killed him from behind in Alsebaa Valley when he was offering prayers lonely.

Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) could not leave the battle field as she was escorted by a large number of people. A fierce battle followed in which Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) was victorious.Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) escaped unhurt. She was honorably escorted back to Madina along with her step brother Mohammad Ibn Abu Bakr ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ). History records that over 10,000 people lost their lives in the conspiracy.

Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) told the people of Basra before her return, ‘My children, none of us should have any grief towards the other. By Allah, there was nothing between me and Hadhrat Ali ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) in the past except that which is usually between a woman and her son-in-law. He is one of the good people. Hadhrat Ali (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ), said, ‘It is true that there was nothing between me and her except what she mentioned and she is the wife of your Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) in this life and the Hereafter’.

It is narrated by Masrooq ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) that he was asked if Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) knew the science of division of the shares of inheritance, he said, “By Allah! I have seen senior Sahabah ask her questions about fara’edh”

When Ummul Momineen Aisha (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہا) was near her death, Ibn Abbas ( رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) asked permission to visit her, and then he said to her : Among the wives of the Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم), he loved you the most, and he did not love except which is good. Allah has sent proof of your innocence through Jibreel (علیھ السلا م) from above the seven heavens.”

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